ClosePhoto: Courtesy of S. PellegrinoThe holidays are upon us, and it’s time to finalize menus, set party dates and haul out the decorations. If you’re someone who can’t resist hosting a shindig during the festive season, juggling the food, the entertainment, the cleaning and the rest of your daily life can get a bit overwhelming—which is where Stanley Tucci’s advice might come in handy.The actor and former host of CNN’s Searching for Italyand the 2024 filming ofThe Heart of Italyin collaboration with the BBC and National Geographic, says that “limiting the number of dishes that you’re going to make” for a given soiree is a must, especially if you, like Tucci himself, tend to go overboard.Stanley Tucci Just Told Us How to Make His Mother’s 4-Ingredient Vinaigrette: “It’s Delicious"“You want everybody to be satisfied,” Tucci tellsEatingWell. “It just comes from the way I grew up, when there were so many dishes. There was never just a soup and a salad, that never happened, especially around the holidays. The meals just went on forever. So I think if you can do that—have a nice range of dishes, but not too many—it makes it more satisfying for you as a host, but actually easier for your guests, too.“Our 30 Most Popular Christmas RecipesAt this point, you might associate Tucci with delicious food almost as much as you associate him with his movie star status. He has starred in gastronomy-obsessed movies likeBig NightandJulie & Julia, written three food-focused books, including his 2021 memoir,Taste: My Life Through Foodand entertained us with hisInstagram cocktail tutorialsandrecipe recaps.Of course, such an intense love for food can make it tough to follow his own advice, making it important to have an accountability partner next to him in the kitchen. “My wife’s much better at [limiting dishes] than I am, and then I’ll have a tendency to go, ‘But I think we should also make—’ and she goes, ‘No, we’re not making that,'” Tucci explains.But there are still some nonnegotiables when it comes to setting the holiday menu at the Tucci house. Tucci, who lives in England, says main dishes usually include something that reflects the English, American and Italian priorities at the table.“Well, I do love that, in England … they always do turkey for Christmas, but we never did turkey, really, because we had just had Thanksgiving,” Tucci says. “They don’t have Thanksgiving, so they want the turkey. I don’t want a turkey. I want a leg of lamb or a ham, like a glazed ham. And I do like to have, obviously, some Italian component, which is usually like a lasagna or a timpano, which is what my family made all the time.“If you want to take Tucci’s lead and add a pasta dish to this year’s festivities, you can make hisGnocchetti con Salsiccia e Broccolini, a hearty, savory pasta dish that Tucci has been making for ages. “I’ve been making it a long time and sort of adapting it over the years,” Tucci tellsEatingWell. “This recipe, to me, is the perfect way to make it … but you can make it a little spicier if you want, make it not spicy if you want. It’s a really, really simple, straightforward recipe that everybody loves.“The heat in this pasta dinner comes from the tablespoon of Calabrian chile flakes included in the recipe, but there’s also the mild, fresh sweetness of fennel to balance it out. While you can always dial back the amount of pepper flakes you use in a recipe, you might want to keep them infor the anti-inflammatory benefits—just pour an extra-large glass of water (or sparkling water like Tucci’s favorite San Pellegrino) to compensate.There are all kinds of options for adding a showstopping pasta dish to your holiday menu, including favorites like ourMinestra Maritata (Italian Wedding Soup)and our cozyOne-Skillet Cheesy Ground Chicken Pasta. No matter what ends up on the menu, keeping things simple, Tucci-style, can help you focus on the pleasure of sharing a meal with friends and family this holiday season.Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!Tell us why!OtherSubmit
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Photo: Courtesy of S. Pellegrino
The holidays are upon us, and it’s time to finalize menus, set party dates and haul out the decorations. If you’re someone who can’t resist hosting a shindig during the festive season, juggling the food, the entertainment, the cleaning and the rest of your daily life can get a bit overwhelming—which is where Stanley Tucci’s advice might come in handy.The actor and former host of CNN’s Searching for Italyand the 2024 filming ofThe Heart of Italyin collaboration with the BBC and National Geographic, says that “limiting the number of dishes that you’re going to make” for a given soiree is a must, especially if you, like Tucci himself, tend to go overboard.Stanley Tucci Just Told Us How to Make His Mother’s 4-Ingredient Vinaigrette: “It’s Delicious"“You want everybody to be satisfied,” Tucci tellsEatingWell. “It just comes from the way I grew up, when there were so many dishes. There was never just a soup and a salad, that never happened, especially around the holidays. The meals just went on forever. So I think if you can do that—have a nice range of dishes, but not too many—it makes it more satisfying for you as a host, but actually easier for your guests, too.“Our 30 Most Popular Christmas RecipesAt this point, you might associate Tucci with delicious food almost as much as you associate him with his movie star status. He has starred in gastronomy-obsessed movies likeBig NightandJulie & Julia, written three food-focused books, including his 2021 memoir,Taste: My Life Through Foodand entertained us with hisInstagram cocktail tutorialsandrecipe recaps.Of course, such an intense love for food can make it tough to follow his own advice, making it important to have an accountability partner next to him in the kitchen. “My wife’s much better at [limiting dishes] than I am, and then I’ll have a tendency to go, ‘But I think we should also make—’ and she goes, ‘No, we’re not making that,'” Tucci explains.But there are still some nonnegotiables when it comes to setting the holiday menu at the Tucci house. Tucci, who lives in England, says main dishes usually include something that reflects the English, American and Italian priorities at the table.“Well, I do love that, in England … they always do turkey for Christmas, but we never did turkey, really, because we had just had Thanksgiving,” Tucci says. “They don’t have Thanksgiving, so they want the turkey. I don’t want a turkey. I want a leg of lamb or a ham, like a glazed ham. And I do like to have, obviously, some Italian component, which is usually like a lasagna or a timpano, which is what my family made all the time.“If you want to take Tucci’s lead and add a pasta dish to this year’s festivities, you can make hisGnocchetti con Salsiccia e Broccolini, a hearty, savory pasta dish that Tucci has been making for ages. “I’ve been making it a long time and sort of adapting it over the years,” Tucci tellsEatingWell. “This recipe, to me, is the perfect way to make it … but you can make it a little spicier if you want, make it not spicy if you want. It’s a really, really simple, straightforward recipe that everybody loves.“The heat in this pasta dinner comes from the tablespoon of Calabrian chile flakes included in the recipe, but there’s also the mild, fresh sweetness of fennel to balance it out. While you can always dial back the amount of pepper flakes you use in a recipe, you might want to keep them infor the anti-inflammatory benefits—just pour an extra-large glass of water (or sparkling water like Tucci’s favorite San Pellegrino) to compensate.There are all kinds of options for adding a showstopping pasta dish to your holiday menu, including favorites like ourMinestra Maritata (Italian Wedding Soup)and our cozyOne-Skillet Cheesy Ground Chicken Pasta. No matter what ends up on the menu, keeping things simple, Tucci-style, can help you focus on the pleasure of sharing a meal with friends and family this holiday season.Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!Tell us why!OtherSubmit
The holidays are upon us, and it’s time to finalize menus, set party dates and haul out the decorations. If you’re someone who can’t resist hosting a shindig during the festive season, juggling the food, the entertainment, the cleaning and the rest of your daily life can get a bit overwhelming—which is where Stanley Tucci’s advice might come in handy.The actor and former host of CNN’s Searching for Italyand the 2024 filming ofThe Heart of Italyin collaboration with the BBC and National Geographic, says that “limiting the number of dishes that you’re going to make” for a given soiree is a must, especially if you, like Tucci himself, tend to go overboard.Stanley Tucci Just Told Us How to Make His Mother’s 4-Ingredient Vinaigrette: “It’s Delicious"“You want everybody to be satisfied,” Tucci tellsEatingWell. “It just comes from the way I grew up, when there were so many dishes. There was never just a soup and a salad, that never happened, especially around the holidays. The meals just went on forever. So I think if you can do that—have a nice range of dishes, but not too many—it makes it more satisfying for you as a host, but actually easier for your guests, too.“Our 30 Most Popular Christmas RecipesAt this point, you might associate Tucci with delicious food almost as much as you associate him with his movie star status. He has starred in gastronomy-obsessed movies likeBig NightandJulie & Julia, written three food-focused books, including his 2021 memoir,Taste: My Life Through Foodand entertained us with hisInstagram cocktail tutorialsandrecipe recaps.Of course, such an intense love for food can make it tough to follow his own advice, making it important to have an accountability partner next to him in the kitchen. “My wife’s much better at [limiting dishes] than I am, and then I’ll have a tendency to go, ‘But I think we should also make—’ and she goes, ‘No, we’re not making that,'” Tucci explains.But there are still some nonnegotiables when it comes to setting the holiday menu at the Tucci house. Tucci, who lives in England, says main dishes usually include something that reflects the English, American and Italian priorities at the table.“Well, I do love that, in England … they always do turkey for Christmas, but we never did turkey, really, because we had just had Thanksgiving,” Tucci says. “They don’t have Thanksgiving, so they want the turkey. I don’t want a turkey. I want a leg of lamb or a ham, like a glazed ham. And I do like to have, obviously, some Italian component, which is usually like a lasagna or a timpano, which is what my family made all the time.“If you want to take Tucci’s lead and add a pasta dish to this year’s festivities, you can make hisGnocchetti con Salsiccia e Broccolini, a hearty, savory pasta dish that Tucci has been making for ages. “I’ve been making it a long time and sort of adapting it over the years,” Tucci tellsEatingWell. “This recipe, to me, is the perfect way to make it … but you can make it a little spicier if you want, make it not spicy if you want. It’s a really, really simple, straightforward recipe that everybody loves.“The heat in this pasta dinner comes from the tablespoon of Calabrian chile flakes included in the recipe, but there’s also the mild, fresh sweetness of fennel to balance it out. While you can always dial back the amount of pepper flakes you use in a recipe, you might want to keep them infor the anti-inflammatory benefits—just pour an extra-large glass of water (or sparkling water like Tucci’s favorite San Pellegrino) to compensate.There are all kinds of options for adding a showstopping pasta dish to your holiday menu, including favorites like ourMinestra Maritata (Italian Wedding Soup)and our cozyOne-Skillet Cheesy Ground Chicken Pasta. No matter what ends up on the menu, keeping things simple, Tucci-style, can help you focus on the pleasure of sharing a meal with friends and family this holiday season.
The holidays are upon us, and it’s time to finalize menus, set party dates and haul out the decorations. If you’re someone who can’t resist hosting a shindig during the festive season, juggling the food, the entertainment, the cleaning and the rest of your daily life can get a bit overwhelming—which is where Stanley Tucci’s advice might come in handy.
The actor and former host of CNN’s Searching for Italyand the 2024 filming ofThe Heart of Italyin collaboration with the BBC and National Geographic, says that “limiting the number of dishes that you’re going to make” for a given soiree is a must, especially if you, like Tucci himself, tend to go overboard.
Stanley Tucci Just Told Us How to Make His Mother’s 4-Ingredient Vinaigrette: “It’s Delicious”
“You want everybody to be satisfied,” Tucci tellsEatingWell. “It just comes from the way I grew up, when there were so many dishes. There was never just a soup and a salad, that never happened, especially around the holidays. The meals just went on forever. So I think if you can do that—have a nice range of dishes, but not too many—it makes it more satisfying for you as a host, but actually easier for your guests, too.”
Our 30 Most Popular Christmas Recipes
At this point, you might associate Tucci with delicious food almost as much as you associate him with his movie star status. He has starred in gastronomy-obsessed movies likeBig NightandJulie & Julia, written three food-focused books, including his 2021 memoir,Taste: My Life Through Foodand entertained us with hisInstagram cocktail tutorialsandrecipe recaps.
Of course, such an intense love for food can make it tough to follow his own advice, making it important to have an accountability partner next to him in the kitchen. “My wife’s much better at [limiting dishes] than I am, and then I’ll have a tendency to go, ‘But I think we should also make—’ and she goes, ‘No, we’re not making that,'” Tucci explains.
But there are still some nonnegotiables when it comes to setting the holiday menu at the Tucci house. Tucci, who lives in England, says main dishes usually include something that reflects the English, American and Italian priorities at the table.
“Well, I do love that, in England … they always do turkey for Christmas, but we never did turkey, really, because we had just had Thanksgiving,” Tucci says. “They don’t have Thanksgiving, so they want the turkey. I don’t want a turkey. I want a leg of lamb or a ham, like a glazed ham. And I do like to have, obviously, some Italian component, which is usually like a lasagna or a timpano, which is what my family made all the time.”
If you want to take Tucci’s lead and add a pasta dish to this year’s festivities, you can make hisGnocchetti con Salsiccia e Broccolini, a hearty, savory pasta dish that Tucci has been making for ages. “I’ve been making it a long time and sort of adapting it over the years,” Tucci tellsEatingWell. “This recipe, to me, is the perfect way to make it … but you can make it a little spicier if you want, make it not spicy if you want. It’s a really, really simple, straightforward recipe that everybody loves.”
The heat in this pasta dinner comes from the tablespoon of Calabrian chile flakes included in the recipe, but there’s also the mild, fresh sweetness of fennel to balance it out. While you can always dial back the amount of pepper flakes you use in a recipe, you might want to keep them infor the anti-inflammatory benefits—just pour an extra-large glass of water (or sparkling water like Tucci’s favorite San Pellegrino) to compensate.
There are all kinds of options for adding a showstopping pasta dish to your holiday menu, including favorites like ourMinestra Maritata (Italian Wedding Soup)and our cozyOne-Skillet Cheesy Ground Chicken Pasta. No matter what ends up on the menu, keeping things simple, Tucci-style, can help you focus on the pleasure of sharing a meal with friends and family this holiday season.
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